There Were Others
by RedRosary2
Summary: The Queen has something to tell Rapunzel. Something horribly sad happened while Rapunzel was growing up away from the castle. trigger warning: death, loss, miscarriage do not read if depressed already (oneshot)


"Rapunzel," the Queen said quietly shutting her book.

Rapunzel looked up from her own story. "Yes, Mother?" she responded.

"I think it's time I tell you something I have been keeping to myself for quite some time." The Queen set aside her book and stood up. "Come with me."

Rapunzel, curious, set her book down and followed after her mother. They walked through many bright and glorious hallways that filled their castle. Rapunzel had not been in all parts of the castle yet and wondered where the Queen could be taking her. She admired the hanging tapestry and the painted portraits on the walls as they walked.

"Where are we going, Mother?" Rapunzel asked.

The Queen did not reply until she came upon a wooden door. "This," she said. "This is what I want to show you." Taking a key out of her pocket, the Queen slid it into the lock, and unlocked the door.

Rapunzel entered the room after her mother and was confused. Around the room, there were toys and other childlike items. Colorful and soft rugs were covered the hard stone floor. The blue curtains were closed, leaving the bright day outside of the room. A small bed was pushed against the wall, the bed sheets looked new and clean. She turned to the Queen. "Was this my room?" she asked softly.

The Queen shook her head. "No," she replied. "It was your brother's."

"I have a brother…?" Rapunzel said slowly.

She shook her head again. "You _had_ a brother," she said sorrowfully. "He died just a few years after he was born." Tears were lining her eyes, but she wiped them away. "The plague took him away. We thought he had just caught a small fever that would go away in a few days, but we were wrong."

Rapunzel looked around the room. It had seemed somewhat cheerful when she walked in here, but now the colors made her sad. "What was he like? What was his name?" she asked turning back to the Queen.

The Queen was now sitting in the rocking chair in the corner of the room. "Well, he was a beautiful child," she started, trying to keep her voice steady. "His name was Jethro. Looked almost identical to your father." Her voice croaked. "He loved to play in the garden with the animals and anything he could find."

Rapunzel could feel a tear falling down her own cheek as she watched her mother cry inaudibly. She knelt down beside her mother and held her hand reassuringly. "Please," she said gently, "continue."

The Queen took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. "Your father and I believed that Jethro would help us heal after you were taken from us, and we were healed to some extent. But," she sniffed and wiped her nose on a handkerchief, "of course something we could not control happened." She glanced around the room. "Right in here. Here in this room he died."

"But," Rapunzel interrupted, "you must have known that he was going to die," she said hesitantly. "I mean, the symptoms had to have been noticed."

The Queen nodded. "They were. He didn't have to suffer long though," she said, her voice cracking. "After the maid discovered the spots on his skin, it didn't take long for him to succumb to the disease."

Rapunzel and the Queen sat in silence for a long while. "Were there others?" Rapunzel asked, her voice breaking the silence. "Did you and father have any more children?"

The Queen nodded again. "There were others. I miscarried them all," she said through her tears. She had begun to shake. "I was so worried that something would happen to this new life inside of me that I… I…" She could not finish her sentence. Sobs shook her body violently. Rapunzel wrapped her arms around her mother and held her tightly.

"Mother," she said softly. "It's not your fault," she said through her own tears. "You did not kill your children." She rocked her gently. "It's alright, Mother. I'm here. I'm here." Rapunzel stood, took hold of her Mother's hand, and led her out of the room. She took the key out of her mother's pocket and locked the door behind them. She led her down the hallways and back to the library. "Let me tell you a story," Rapunzel said as she encouraged her mother to back down in her chair.

Reluctantly, the Queen sat and leaned back in the chair, closing her eyes as Rapunzel's voice flowed through her mind, painting pictures of happier times in a world without hurt. A world with heroes and love, knights and dragons, and delight and pleasure. For the first time in a long time, the Queen's mind was relaxed. She wanted to stay like this for forever.

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**I hope you may have enjoyed this sad little fic. I certainly had a tough time writing it because it is such a sensitive topic. Thank you for reading and please feel free to check out my other Tangeled one shot and my other stories!**


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